Comments on: Governor Crist Signs Workers Compensation Bill http://floridaworkers.com/?p=197 Protecting The Rights Of Florida Working Men And Women Mon, 03 May 2010 18:21:34 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Gene McGinnis http://floridaworkers.com/?p=197&cpage=1#comment-128 Gene McGinnis Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:54:58 +0000 http://floridaworkers.com/?p=197#comment-128 Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Someone tell me how this bill will is going to help people like my son who was shot at work. Send this link to your state representative... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OidNTMwTSiE YOUTUBE SamsLaw Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Someone tell me how this bill will is going to help people like my son who was shot at work. Send this link to your state representative…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OidNTMwTSiE

YOUTUBE SamsLaw

]]> By: Tom DeBari http://floridaworkers.com/?p=197&cpage=1#comment-118 Tom DeBari Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:57:34 +0000 http://floridaworkers.com/?p=197#comment-118 Another victory for the insurance interests over the hard-working people of the State Of Florida. Honestly, though, this is my first profound disappointment in Governor Crist. He seems, on most every issue, to project a desire to do the non-partisan right thing and often does. Unfortunately, he failed miserably on this occasion and the workers of Florida will pay the price for a long time. When powerful insurance lobbies commit millions of dollars in an effort to remove the word "reasonable" from the law, you know the drafters of that law did the right thing. Politics is power and power is money, and no collective has more aggregate wealth than the insurance industry. Even our Republican friends should be wary of an institution powerful enough to take reason out of the law. What's next? Another victory for the insurance interests over the hard-working people of the State Of Florida. Honestly, though, this is my first profound disappointment in Governor Crist. He seems, on most every issue, to project a desire to do the non-partisan right thing and often does. Unfortunately, he failed miserably on this occasion and the workers of Florida will pay the price for a long time. When powerful insurance lobbies commit millions of dollars in an effort to remove the word “reasonable” from the law, you know the drafters of that law did the right thing. Politics is power and power is money, and no collective has more aggregate wealth than the insurance industry. Even our Republican friends should be wary of an institution powerful enough to take reason out of the law. What’s next?

]]> By: Noah Benefit http://floridaworkers.com/?p=197&cpage=1#comment-111 Noah Benefit Sat, 06 Jun 2009 13:24:28 +0000 http://floridaworkers.com/?p=197#comment-111 I respectfully disagree regarding your huge effort. Call me naive but a lawyer who goes to Tallahassee to talk about a fee bill just may have something else on the mind and not just pro bono publico! At least, that's what I'm thinking if I am a politician. Similarly, I don't think Tallahassee is populated by "Mr. Smiths who've gone to the Capitol" either. No, as influential as FWA might be, unleashing the full force of your collective persuasive powers I'm sure was the best option--especially after similar failed attempts in '98, '03 and just about every other time this issue was frontburned. Running the same tired and failed play required a tremendous amount of foresight and insight. Suspend your disbelief for just a second, please. Maybe just maybe these politicos are motivated by public perception? Maybe just maybe by shaming them on a grand scale so they are on the defensive might get their attention in a more immediate way as well as everyone else's? Maybe just maybe Joe or Jane Sixpack watches more television than he or she reads the editorial columns, blogs, et.al.? The point of a media blitz should not be to educate the voters but rather to paint Crist into a corner, stick an anti-populist label on him and force him to answer the call while simultaneously creating and building a sense of anticipation in Joe and Jane with May 30 pending so much so even Candidate Crist can feel Joe and Jane's anticipation as well as to propagandize and if necessary, sensationalize the cause with a parade of worst case scenario horribles so a potential ,credible backlash is perceived by Candidiate Crist if not actually driving many of the populist electorate to the polls regardless of the blitz's outcome. A major commitment of time and money between May 15 and May 30 would have accomplished all of this before the senate race got into full swing and even if it had failed, makes for a sounder, more credible factual basis to advance the argument for change during the campaign. I respectfully disagree regarding your huge effort. Call me naive but a lawyer who goes to Tallahassee to talk about a fee bill just may have something else on the mind and not just pro bono publico! At least, that’s what I’m thinking if I am a politician. Similarly, I don’t think Tallahassee is populated by “Mr. Smiths who’ve gone to the Capitol” either. No, as influential as FWA might be, unleashing the full force of your collective persuasive powers I’m sure was the best option–especially after similar failed attempts in ‘98, ‘03 and just about every other time this issue was frontburned. Running the same tired and failed play required a tremendous amount of foresight and insight. Suspend your disbelief for just a second, please. Maybe just maybe these politicos are motivated by public perception? Maybe just maybe by shaming them on a grand scale so they are on the defensive might get their attention in a more immediate way as well as everyone else’s? Maybe just maybe Joe or Jane Sixpack watches more television than he or she reads the editorial columns, blogs, et.al.? The point of a media blitz should not be to educate the voters but rather to paint Crist into a corner, stick an anti-populist label on him and force him to answer the call while simultaneously creating and building a sense of anticipation in Joe and Jane with May 30 pending so much so even Candidate Crist can feel Joe and Jane’s anticipation as well as to propagandize and if necessary, sensationalize the cause with a parade of worst case scenario horribles so a potential ,credible backlash is perceived by Candidiate Crist if not actually driving many of the populist electorate to the polls regardless of the blitz’s outcome. A major commitment of time and money between May 15 and May 30 would have accomplished all of this before the senate race got into full swing and even if it had failed, makes for a sounder, more credible factual basis to advance the argument for change during the campaign.

]]> By: Charles E. Bloom, Esq http://floridaworkers.com/?p=197&cpage=1#comment-108 Charles E. Bloom, Esq Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:20:16 +0000 http://floridaworkers.com/?p=197#comment-108 Florida Workers Advocates made a huge effort to defeat this bad law. Many FWA attorney members placed their practices on hold and went to Tallahassee for several weeks at a time to educate the Legislators and Governor. Letters were sent by NAACP, FWA, FJA, Voices and other worker advocate groups urging the Governor to Veto the Bill. While I agree that some sort of advertising blitz might have better informed the people, it would have been very costly and would not have changed the outcome. Charlie Crist is just a politician and his Republican party absolutely insisted on his support for this Bill. He signed it to please them and further his career, no amount of protest was going to stop that from happening. When it comes to the interests of Big Business and Insurance Companies, truth be damned, right now they run this state. Only one way to stop them. Florida must do what the rest of the country did at the Federal level, toss out the Republicans. In my view, we need to make a major effort and commitment of time and money to that end. Florida Workers Advocates made a huge effort to defeat this bad law. Many FWA attorney members placed their practices on hold and went to Tallahassee for several weeks at a time to educate the Legislators and Governor. Letters were sent by NAACP, FWA, FJA, Voices and other worker advocate groups urging the Governor to Veto the Bill. While I agree that some sort of advertising blitz might have better informed the people, it would have been very costly and would not have changed the outcome. Charlie Crist is just a politician and his Republican party absolutely insisted on his support for this Bill. He signed it to please them and further his career, no amount of protest was going to stop that from happening. When it comes to the interests of Big Business and Insurance Companies, truth be damned, right now they run this state. Only one way to stop them. Florida must do what the rest of the country did at the Federal level, toss out the Republicans. In my view, we need to make a major effort and commitment of time and money to that end.

]]> By: Noah Benefit http://floridaworkers.com/?p=197&cpage=1#comment-107 Noah Benefit Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:22:03 +0000 http://floridaworkers.com/?p=197#comment-107 Why didn't the Claimants' Bar take to the airwaves? Or why didn't the lobbies for the first responders? Pastors' groups? Obviously this was an issue affecting all Floridians and though I am unaware of any hard data, bet you the disproportionate number of those affected are English-impaired, uneducated, non-Caucasian folk. Bet if this issue were couched politically in these terms and as Big Insurance v. Everyone Else, maybe Candidate Crist would have felt the pressure especially with failed Senate bill 2042 providing for a prohibition against a premium hike because of fees and with a de facto cap on injured worker's attorney fees since nothing could exceed what the Carrier's attorney would be paid, the business lobby's concern was really a non-concern. No, HB 903 was not a nod to the business community but really was Big Insurance's Trojan Horse. At least maybe that is how the debate should have been framed. Just seems to me everyone on the side of truth and justice missed out on a golden opportunity to capitalize on the anti-AIG-bailout sentiment and instead allowed Big Insurance's propaganda machine to pit traditional foes against one another again instead of exploting workers and employers untiy of interest. True: Big Insurance may have the deeper pocket. But with over 1,000 attorneys in the Claimants' Bar, someone couldn't pass the hat and air some infomercial especially from May 15 to May 30? if there are rules prohibiting such ads by attorneys, what about interest groups? Why no litigation to enjoin HB 903's ratification or whatever you call it after the governor signs? Seems to me money is spent on commercials to generate referrals but when it really mattered the so-called "people's champs" were/are MIA. Why didn’t the Claimants’ Bar take to the airwaves? Or why didn’t the lobbies for the first responders? Pastors’ groups? Obviously this was an issue affecting all Floridians and though I am unaware of any hard data, bet you the disproportionate number of those affected are English-impaired, uneducated, non-Caucasian folk. Bet if this issue were couched politically in these terms and as Big Insurance v. Everyone Else, maybe Candidate Crist would have felt the pressure especially with failed Senate bill 2042 providing for a prohibition against a premium hike because of fees and with a de facto cap on injured worker’s attorney fees since nothing could exceed what the Carrier’s attorney would be paid, the business lobby’s concern was really a non-concern. No, HB 903 was not a nod to the business community but really was Big Insurance’s Trojan Horse. At least maybe that is how the debate should have been framed. Just seems to me everyone on the side of truth and justice missed out on a golden opportunity to capitalize on the anti-AIG-bailout sentiment and instead allowed Big Insurance’s propaganda machine to pit traditional foes against one another again instead of exploting workers and employers untiy of interest. True: Big Insurance may have the deeper pocket. But with over 1,000 attorneys in the Claimants’ Bar, someone couldn’t pass the hat and air some infomercial especially from May 15 to May 30? if there are rules prohibiting such ads by attorneys, what about interest groups? Why no litigation to enjoin HB 903’s ratification or whatever you call it after the governor signs? Seems to me money is spent on commercials to generate referrals but when it really mattered the so-called “people’s champs” were/are MIA.

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